Mill River Park to be tobacco and alcohol free

Published 1:24 pm, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

STAMFORD — Less than a week after Stamford’s newest park opened to the public, city lawmakers passed a resolution that will prohibit the use of tobacco and alcohol products at Mill River Park.

City Rep. Harry Day, a board member with the Mill River Collaborative, urged his colleagues to vote in favor of the request during the Board of Representatives regular meeting on Monday.

Day, R-13, is also chairman of the board’s Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee, which approved the request unanimously 5 - 0 on May 1.

The rules change will amend two of the rules of the Park and Recreation guidelines, which govern all city parks.

“Whereas the other parks outlaw the use of liquor except for beer, the feeling was in the Mill River Collaborative, we should outlaw all use of alcohol except for specific events,” said Day.

In February, Day requested his colleagues to approve the serving and consumption of all alcoholic beverages for the park’s May 2 fundraising gala, which followed its ribbon cutting ceremony.

The request was an exception to city code, which board members voted in favor of, 20 to 13.

On Monday, Day explained to colleagues why the Mill River Collaborative would like to prohibit smoking.

“This is not a nanny state-motivated proposal but rather a cost-related one,” said Day.

“Right now, the Mill River Collaborative is absorbing 80 percent of the operating costs of the park. The budget is very, very tight. Believe it or not, it takes hours and hours every day to remove cigarette butts. I can say as a former smoker … you finish smoking the cigarette and toss the butt,” said Day. “Those butts don’t go anywhere. They have to be picked up … If people want to smoke, they can do it outside of the park.”

City Rep. Joseph Coppola, Jr., R-15, disagreed with Day’s request.

“I take issue with the matter of smoking and using tobacco in the park. None of the other parks in Stamford have that restriction. I think it’s too restrictive. I also think its unenforceable,” said Coppola.

The majority of Board of Reps members, however, sided with Day on the matter with 25 voting in favor, 10 opposed and 2 abstentions.

The new regulations will take effect immediately. It was not immediately clear what the punishment would be for non-compliance with the new rules.